Folio from a Shahnama (Book of kings) by Firdawsi (d.1020); recto: The beginning of the Shahnama of Hakim Firdawsi; verso: last section of Baysunghuri preface

Object Details

• Description

  Detached folio from a dispersed copy of the Shahnama (Book of kings) by Firdawsi; text: Persian in black and white nasta'liq script; recto: last section of Baysunghuri preface, one column, nineteen lines of text, ; verso: Sarlawh, text, the beginning of the Shahnama of Hakim Firdawsi, headings in white, four columns, twenty lines of text.

  Border: The text is set in gold, blue and red rulings on cream-colored paper; the sarlawh is set in gold, blue and red rulings; margins are decorated with landscape and animal motifs.

• Inscriptions

  Recto: marginal information in another hand about endowment of the book.

• Collection

  Arthur M. Sackler Collection

• Origin

  Iran

• Credit Line

  Purchase — Smithsonian Unrestricted Trust Funds, Smithsonian Collections Acquisition Program, and Dr. Arthur M. Sackler

• Type

  Manuscript

• Restrictions and Rights

  Usage Conditions Apply

  There are restrictions for re-using this media. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Terms of Use page.

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• Related Resources

  collections.si.edu

• Date

  1700s, 1710s, 1720s, 1500s, 1610s, 1600s, 1590s, 1540s, 1650s, 1530s, 1640s, 1520s, 1630s, 1510s, 1620s, 1580s, 1730s, 1690s, 1570s, 1680s, 1560s, 1670s, 1550s, 1660s

• Topic

  S?afavid dynasty, 1501-1736, Art, Animals, Henri Vever collection, Arts of the Islamic World, Birds, Illumination, Shahnama, Epic literature

• Culture

  Muslims, Iranians

• Language

  Nasta?li-q script

• Object Type

  Manuscripts